There really is no smoke without fire. Ever since it was reported that Aaron Donald was “flirting” with the idea of returning to the gridiron, the rumor mill has been working overtime. However, Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay’s recent comments on the topic might push the rest of the NFC West to prepare for a nightmare.

“I have crossed paths with Aaron Donald,” McVay shared during his appearance on The Daily Flock. “What’s special is, we have a really special relationship. It’s way bigger than football. I’ve heard him say it before and it means the world to me — and I feel the same — it’s family with us. He’s done so much for me. I love the man he is. I love the husband, the father, the son — he represents a lot of the things that are right.

“And what he’s going to do is, he is thinking about this,” the Rams head coach added. “He’s going to go through his process. And the one thing about Aaron Donald is, what he does, he does it full speed ahead.”

Donald told Pat McAfee that the Myles Garrett trade really got him thinking, now that the Rams are the best-positioned team in the NFL to win the Super Bowl this season. Along with the star pass rusher, the Rams will have two great cornerbacks in Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, and a promising defensive tackle in Byron Young. If Donald does return, he will be coming back to a defense where he doesn’t have to do the most work.

The famed defensive tackle is also 35 years old, a fact often flagged by skeptics. Yet Donald looks in great shape, as seen in the videos he posts on social media. He looks so good that Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees still saw him as a threat.

“First off, I’ve watched the guy on Instagram, and it looks like he’s staying in pretty good shape,” Brees told USA Today. “I mean, I’m still pretty scared of him.

“For him to sit there and go, ‘Wait a minute, you mean I can come back, I … can play 20-25 snaps a game, it’s always going to be a pass rush, I’m always going to be matched up against the worst offensive linemen, and all the attention is going to Myles Garrett? Like, yeah, why not?'”

However, the financials behind Aaron Donald’s return are a little complicated. He retired before his contract expired, and returning to the team would activate the remaining $30 million in dead money against the salary cap. It’s a hefty amount for someone who might realistically play for only one more season. 

According to Adam Schefter, it might take both sides some time to arrive at a decision.

Adam Schefter not too eager about Aaron Donald returning immediately

“The single most intriguing storyline training camp question is whether Aaron Donald is going to come back,” Schefter said on his show. “Aaron Donald is essentially trying to get himself ready for the upcoming season. I don’t think, and it doesn’t sound like, we’re gonna get an immediate answer, or an immediate signing, of Aaron Donald.

“He is too busy trying to get himself back into football shape, to try to regain some of the form he might’ve lost in two years away from football, and he’s not gonna come back until he feels like he’s ready to be Aaron Donald again”. 

Donald last played a game in 2024. He’s also dropped by the Rams facility for a workout recently, which shows that Donald is giving this some serious thought. Schefter wasn’t saying Donald might not return, but there are “incremental steps” involved in getting Aaron Donald back in the field.

However, the former(?) defensive tackle’s age is not a problem for McVay. He said in June last year that Donald could still play at a “pretty high clip” even at 35 years old.

For now, the entire NFL community is waiting with bated breath for Donald’s final decision. If his body responds well to the intense physical ramp-up, the Rams might secure the final missing piece for a terrifying championship run.